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Re: how's your summer

While April and May were wet due to rain, June was dry and hot. We got two beneficial rains about a week apart. Ticks don't seem any worse this year than in the past. I began harvesting honey last week. I am half through and what I thought was going to be a low honey harvest year has turned out to be quite nice. However, I have a problem I would just as soon not have. One group of my bee hives is sitting on 30 acres or so of sunflowers. They are in full bloom and my bees are working, bitterweed and not sunflowers!

Re: how's your summer

Originally Posted by Keith Jarrett

Out west here things have been very dry, But bees are doing ok. Down south , NM, AZ, S CALif got really hot and killed lots of hives, hearts go out to those folks. Then back east I hear rain rain too much rain. How's it going in your area? Hope most of you can make a crop with these high prices, best of luck to all.

Re: how's your summer

Bees are doing great here in Western Colorado, dry as usual (upper 90's to mid 100's F, lows in the low-mid 60's) but with all the irrigation, this season is looking good for a honey crop. Working single and double supers and hoping to increase those end of this week. We seemed to still be running 3 weeks behind forage-wise and forage should run until the first hard freeze.

Re: how's your summer

Virginia has been swamped too, but I cant Kick. most years we are in a deep drought by now. I dont rely on honey for an income so I will take the rain, on sunny days, the girls are coming home with baskets full of clover. Buckwheat on the way. G

Re: how's your summer

Keith, you seeing much star thistle this year?? I checked my old stomping grounds in Livermore to see if it came back after a terrible year last year out there...........and again it was a no show this year. One sideliner in that area has about 150 hives..........and six 250 gallon totes full of HFCS in his yard...........I feel for that beekeeper.

My bees are doing good, especially for how hard I split them this year. The safflower is almost done, but the alfalfa is getting ready to bloom or in bloom again!

Re: how's your summer

It's been a fantastic summer here in the Willamette Valley! Nice warm Spring, decent amount of rain in May and June (somewhat unusual for us) and the fruit trees bloomed out great and now blackberries are going like crazy! My package hive (installed 4/15) is now on it's 3rd honey super--they took the 2nd super from bare foundation to completely full of capped honey in 10 days! Really, I don't think we could be doing much better. I've actually already got some ripe cherry tomatoes in the garden, and usually we don't see ripe tomatoes until the end of August/beginning of September. My condolences to folks who are having a tough time this summer.

Re: how's your summer

It has been very dry and hotter than normal. Our bees are doing fine, but the honey crop is about 1/4 of what we had last year. Our irrigated bee pasture has lots of activity, but there does not seem to be much nectar.
We are past the main flow.
Dave

Re: how's your summer

Originally Posted by JRG13

Beeghost, seeing more starthistle up here than in the last few years, but it's still sporadic in most places.

Where I had my bees at in Livermore when I first started bee keeping, was loaded with star thistle, I'm talking probably a couple thousand acres of it, since I moved it hasn't come back at all! I loved the honey that came off if it, but hated dealing with the weed!

Re: how's your summer

My season is good so far, even after the long winter we had, I've gotten more then 120 lb per hive so far this season, the cloverhas just starten to flower and in August i hope for a good season With heather

Re: how's your summer

Barry
I am in northern Lake County and I my hives are having mixed results. Most are on the second super and a couple on the third super. We are having a good flow now so i am leaving them alone for a couple of weeks.

Re: how's your summer

Both scale hives(Home and shop 20 miles west) have been gaining 3 lbs a day since the rain stopped 10 days ago. The yards we worked this week average one deep for every 4 hives, with most all have a "next time" deep. One yard that usually does poorly(wet area) averaged one deep per hive.

Barry, closest hives to you, in Racine county, both had a full deep, and 2 "next times".

It is most definitely the "beginning of the beginning". We just hope the "beginning of the end" is a long way off.

Re: how's your summer

Originally Posted by BeeGhost

Keith, you seeing much star thistle this year??

No, it's pretty sparrs over here, not seeing much tar weed either. Jim Pysen once told me the stars shine the brighest when it's the darkest out.....
Nice to see some post that the bees are bringing it in by the boat loads.